Insulated rail-joint.



V. C. ARMSTRONG.

INSULATED RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 30. |914.

l ,1 83,335 Patented May 16, 1916.

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LNSULATED RAIL JOINT.

|cAT1oN men ov ao x y AP 914| 1 ,1 83,335 Patented May 16, 1916.

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m c7-OT EMTONG UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VICTOR C. ARMSTRONG, OFHACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE'RAILJOINT COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

INSULATED RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1916-.

Application filed November 30, 1914. Serial No. 874,874.

T0 all lwhom t may concern:

Be it known 'that I, Vio'ron C. ARMs'rRoNG, a, citizen of the UnitedStates, residing` at Hackensack, in the county of Bergen and State ofNew Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inInsulated Rail-Joints, of which the following 1s a specification.

`his invention relates to insulated rail joints particularly of the typecharacterized by a steel shoe angle, and wooden or equivalent fillerblocks fitting the fishing spaces.

The tyipe of rail joint referred to 1s exemplified by the well knownWeber 1nsulated rail joint, in which the upright member of the shoeangle constitutes a bolting plate for the outside of the joint. At theinside side of this style of joint is employed a metal bolting strapwhich assists to hold together the joint. parts, but has no supportingfunction to assist in holding the base plate up against the bases of therails. As a consequence of such construction, the rail ends, undertraflic, are susceptible of some movement vertically and independentlyot the base plate of the shoe angle, and, under lateral thrust orsimilar forces, it is therefore possible for the rail ends to bedellected laterally in an outward direction. The eiieet of suchdeflection is to lift the rail bases oil of' the inner 'free edgeportion of the base plate of the shoe angle. This causes straining andweakening of the various parts of the joint, and also creates adestructive force which cuts and mashes out thc base insulation plate.The latter condition prevailsl on account of the chaling and poundingofthe rail bases on the base insulation as the rails rise and fall.

Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to providean insulated rail joint which fully preserves the established valuableand practical features of the lVeber insulated rail joint, while at thesame time supplementing these features by an improvement whichcontributes a more substantial and firmer base support for the railends, combined with an effective organization of the joint parts so thatthe same will be compactly and firmly held to the rails.

Prefer-able practical embodiments of the invention are shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 'l isa top plan view of an insulated rail joint embodying thepresent invention. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top planyiew of a modified design of rail jointconstructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 4 is a crosssectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a cross sectionalview on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts in theseveral figures of the drawings.

In' carrying forward the invention, no change or alteration is requiredin the Standard features of the iVeber insulated type of rail joint. Thv,se are maintained, both structurally and functionally, so for purposesof illustration, there is shown in the drawings an embodiinentf myinvention incorporated in such a joint; it being seen from the drawings,that the metal shoe angle A, the insulating shoe angle B, and the woodenor equivalent filler members C are of the same construction and occupythe same relative positions as in the usual form of f'cber insulatedrail joint. In addition to these conventioiral features of a joint ofthis type, the distinctive feature of the present invention resides inthe employment of what. may be termed a supplemental steel shoe angle l,which corresponds in its angular form to that of the main shoe angle,and comprises a horizontal base member 2 and an upright bolting girder 3arising from one edge of said base member and integrally or rigidlyunited therewith.

The important consideration of the present invention is to arrange thesupplemental rail-supporting shoe-angle l in such a manner as to securethe novel and useful results referred to. It will be observed that thesul'iplcmental shoe angle l, while disposed within the main shoe angleis disposed in an opposite relation thereto. so that itsl up- 1 rightbolting girder member 3 is located at the opposite side of the railsfrom the upright member of the main shoe angle, and hence lies at theinside of the joint. ln this position, the horizontal base member l ofthe supplemental shoe angle performs a definite rail-seating and railsupporting function` inasmuch as the rails are seated directly thereonand it occupies a position bctween the rail bases and the upper side ofthe base section of the insulating shoe angle B.

The supplemental shoe not only7 provides a supportingr base and f -i`tot' .the rails, but the uprightgirder or in. ng' meer ber 3 thereogtIreceives the joint bolts il and clamps against the liller bloeit at theinside of the joint. The joint bolts l also extend through the railnr`the tiller blot-lo. at both sides of the rails` and through the uprightmember ot' the main shoe angle located at the outside ot' the joint. 1twill thus be seen that the upright girder or member 3 of thesupplemental shoe angle performs the desirable function of directlyreceiving the joint bolts so as to provide, in effect, a. rigidsupporting connection between the bolts and the inner rail-supportingbase member 2,

ith the result oit' improving the general ef- 'eiency and durability ofthe joint.

To provide means for completing the insulation of a joint of thecharacter described, it is usual to employ outer bolting` straps '5 atthe outside of the joint for the nuts of the bolts to bind against, andto interpose insulating strips 6 between such straps and the outer faceof the upright member of the main shoe angle. Also, it is necessary, inthis form of construction, to divide the supplemental shoe angle intotwo parts with a sufficient separation between the said parts at thecenter of the joint. as at T. The conventonal end post insulation may beextended into this separating space between the two parts or sections ofthe supplemental shoe angle. In connection with the insulatingexpedients for the joint described, it is to be noted that it is notnecessary to provide insulating waslmrsulnler the bolt heads, becausethese heads can be clamped directly against the bolting,r girder ormember l et the supplemental shoe, angle. ".lfhis is a (le-- sirablefeature of construction since it effects an economy in the use olEinsulation, and permits the employment o'l1 the toured tional buttonhead bolts with oval necks, fitting in eorrespondiugly sl'mped openingsto prevent turning of the bolts.

A further novel and praetirnl embodiment of the invention illustrated inFigs. 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings, rulnlrein the supplemental railsnj'ijiorting shoe angle is shown to be of a. modified design. lhismodiiication essentially involves the usel of a supplemental shoe angledesignated by the number bieb is also disposed within the main shoeangle and has its upright bolting girder 9 disposed at the inside ot'the joint opposite the cfu-responding member ot' the main shoe auf-,7;rnhich is disposed at the outside of the joint. lint`v in the modifieddesign of supplemental shoe angle, the up right bolting girder oriaen'ioer E) thereof eX tends uninterruptedly the i'ull length of thejoint, while i'4 horizonial rail supporting base member lit* is of alength approximately angle equaling only one-halt` the length of thejoint, and therefore underlies only one rail ond M. This construction isproduced by shearing oii one-half ol the, base portion of the shoe anglesection 8 near the center of the joint aa in= lie.ated at ll in Fig. ofthe dran ings, in the modified construction referred to, it willtherefore be seen that while the base member of the supplenlental shoeangle pro\ides a seat and support for one rail end only, thesujiiporting and holdingup etleet of the upright girder or member S) ismaintained to a large degree by extending such girder the entire lengthof the joint so that it will act as a bolting strap for both rail ends.With this construction, however, it is necessary to place a riser plate12 beneath the other rail end This riser plate is preferably made. ofinsulating material to insure a thorough and eli'eetive insulation ofthe joint, and is held in position by' means of insulating rivets l2 orother equivalent and practical fastening means. Also, in this form ofconstruction, in View ot' the metallic contact between the base'membersof both shoe angles. it is necessary to thoroughly insulate all. ot the.joint bolts. This is accon'iplished by insulating the bolt ends at theoutsidel of the joint in the manner already described, and by insulatingthe bolt ends :d the inside of the joint by the use of juxtaposed nntaland insulating straps .lilas-MA 'in posed between the bolt heads and theboiling girder member of the supplemental shoe angle.

Other desirable and practical modifications of the invention may beresorted to without departing from the distinctive fea ture thereofwhich is characterized by the emj'iloymrnt ot' a supjilenuntal steelshoe angie disposed within the main shoe angle and hating its uprightgi-rder or member disposed at the inside of the joint and receiving thejoint bolts to obtain the supporting cll'ect ol' such bolts, therebyobviat ing the dilirulties and objections met with in the rwiventional'l'orm oT" W'eber type of rail joint having merely bolting straps at theinside of the joint.

l claim:

l. An insulated rail joint including the rails` a main shoe angleextending the full length of the joint, outer and inner filler members`and a supplemental ,shoe angle disposed within the main shoe angle andclamped against the inner liller, said supplemental shoe angle having abase member eX- tending substantially halt the length of the joint.

2. An insulated rail joint including the rails, a main shoe angleextending the full length o1" the joint, outer and inner filler members,and a supplemental shoe angle disposed within the main shoe angle andhaving an upright bolting girder clamped against the inner iller, saidsupplemental.

shoe extending substantially half the length of the joint.

t in insulated rail. joint including'the rails, e inain shoe angle,extending the Afull len th of? the joint,c outer and inner filler meibers, and a, supplemental Shoe angle disoefl VWithin the main shoeangle in rerletion thereto und provided with A holting girder extendingthe full length of thejoint and clamped against the inner filler, saidsupplemental shoe angle also having a base member extendingsubstantially half the length of the joint7 and a rie complementallyrelated to said 'base length of the joint, and a base member for onerail end, and a riser plate complemen- 'tally related to said basemember and dis'- posed beneath the other rail end.

5. 'An insulated rail joint including the rails, joint bolts, and outerand inner lillers, a main shoe angle engaging the outer filler,@supplemental shoe angle disposed Within the mein shoe angle andengaging the inner filler, said supplemental shoe angle having anupright bolting girder extending the full length of the joint, and abase member for one rail end, and a riser plate disposed beneath theother rail end.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo Witnesses.

VICTOR C. ARMSTRONG.

Witnesses:

E. F. SCHERMERHORN, K. MCNALLY.

